Early Medieval Deviant Burials in the Czech Republic

Summary

This paper will examine how 22 burials, labeled "deviant" due to their unusual burial positions, fit into the social context of early medieval Bohemia. Libice nad Cidlinou is a large fortified settlement site in what is now the Czech Republic. Multiple excavations have uncovered a cemetery dating from the late 9th through early 10th centuries and consisting of 212 graves. Of these, 22 deviate from the normal extended burial position. The unusual burials have been analyzed using a biocultural approach that takes into account the life course of an individual and the potential for transformative impacts on the skeleton. Using multiple lines of evidence, including osteological analysis, archaeological data, historical sources and comparative cases, these burials are contextualized along with an exploration of the reasons for uncommon burial including the possibilities of slavery, social ostracism and extreme poverty, the presence of particular diseases, foreign places of origin, and perceived revenants.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Final Cut: Death and Burial Through the Ages   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 364